Tickets go on sale 10/8 and I will get mine then. I hope the real Pistons show up, not the ones that had to go 2 OT's to beat the Clipps last year. They should be at least 12-4 by then and will be in the middle game of a mini 3 game west coast trip then. I should be able to give you full report especially if it is a positive win on 12/12.

Sam Cassell is a great candidate for a rebound season (find it hard to believe that a guard can go from his best season as a pro to his worst in one fail swoop without coming back to some middle ground)

Cutino Mobley is an underated offensive presence

Hell, if this was an Eastern Conference team they would have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

The Clips are 9-0 when they shoot 48% and better. Key to a Pistons win is holding them below 44%; the Pistons need to shoot better than 45%; and control the boards while shutting down Brand's inside game and Cassell's dribble penetration.

The Clips shut down DWade and company tonight so this maybe the Pistons biggest road challenge since the Mavs. I will be there in my "M" jacket and 2004 Pistons Championship cap to cheer the Pistons on, and hopefully I will make the long drive home smiling.

I hope the Pistons didn't fly back home after GS. Acclimate to Cali. we got Clipps then Jazz. ...Dre we shot 44% at GS and GS shot 40%. A 3 pt. win. Still a little tight for me. But CBill was fresh in the 4th and inserted daggers thanks to CarArr.

Well the Clips beat the Suns to retain 1st place in their Div... all of their starters played major minutes with a 6:00 (West coast) game against the Pistons.

Brand = beast However Sheed's length could bother him I think Magette will be out with his foot injury... Tayshaun should clean up tomorrow. Cassell is crafty but C.B. will bully him down low. Rip has to stay up tight on Mobley Kaman shoots equally with his right or left hook.

I'm in LA, and a few of the players and Flip were at the Clippers/Suns game tonight scouting. They even interviewd Flip during a timeout. This is gonna be a tough game to win. Clips are 9-1 at home, and their only loss was to the Pacers in a tight one where Croshere went off for 17 points on 7 shots. Hopefully the Pistons bring the "D" for 48 minutes tonight. No messing around with this team.

It's good timing to be catching them the night after they had to chase the Suns all over the court. Of the two games (Suns and Pistons), it is more likely that the Clips looked at the Suns game as the bigger one, since it was a conference game. While they would surely like to win, their weekend is already good. They should naturally let down, especially if the Pistons get off to a quick start.

We should take advantage of the Clippers playing back to back game. In addition, with Magette out, we should have the edge. The Suns has no Stoudamire to stop Brand but we have Sheed who is having a lot of fun the last few games and playing well to stop him as well as playing him in the post and get Brand in foul trouble. We must try not to be outrebound again which seems to be a trend recently. Although we still able to win such games, it may come back to haunt us.

I make this Piston-Clipper game every year and usually the Pistons fans will out-cheer the home crowd. However with the Clips leading the division and looking like a conference finalist, the home town fans will be out there tonight to motivate their surging team. You should still here enough of us DEETROIT Basketball fans to know that we are in the house!!!

Let's hope that our boys got the one night rest and back-to-back will take a toll on the Magette less Clippers. Sheed is playing his best ball during this stretch as is Brand, so that match up could offset each other. If the rest just play their game we will win, but it will be a toughy.